Celebrate Paçzki Day: Polish Pastries Delight!

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Discussion Overview

The thread centers around the celebration of Paçzki Day, with participants sharing their experiences and thoughts about this Polish pastry. Various locations and traditions associated with Paçzki Day are mentioned, alongside personal anecdotes and cravings for the pastries.

Discussion Character

  • Anecdotal
  • Opinion-based
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant shares that Paçzki Day is a significant event in Milwaukee, noting long lines at local bakeries.
  • Another participant describes the popularity of Paçzki in Detroit, highlighting the rich history and various fillings available.
  • Several users express their cravings for Paçzki, with one mentioning a desire for a raspberry-filled one.
  • One participant, identifying as a consultant, mentions that Paçzki are also popular in a Dutch community, indicating a broader appreciation for the pastry.
  • Another participant notes the cultural significance of Paçzki as a way to use up rich ingredients before Lent.
  • Some participants discuss the connection between Paçzki Day and other celebrations like Pancake Day, with playful comparisons made between the two.
  • One participant shares a recipe for Paçzki, providing a detailed account of the preparation process.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Views differ regarding the popularity and significance of Paçzki Day in various locations, with no clear consensus on which area has the best or most authentic pastries.

Contextual Notes

Participants come from various regions, including Chicago, Detroit, and Kansas, sharing local traditions and experiences related to Paçzki Day and its cultural background.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in culinary traditions, particularly those related to Polish culture, may find the shared experiences and discussions about Paçzki Day engaging.

Thanks KG I was wondering what Fat Tuesday was.

And here I've been eating non-stop since I got up this morning!
 
deja vu.....still looks yummy, wish I had one of those!
 
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  • #33
"Deja vu" is Polish for after you've eaten one Paçzki, it was so good you decide to eat another one.
 
Hubby came home for lunch w/ half a dozen of em...yum...
 
Not here... never heard of them. I'm Pennsylvania Dutch so folks here do something different, though similar. LOL

If today's Fat Tuesday then it's Fastnacht day in these parts. Fastnachts are a pastry and most folks substitute just donuts but they are NOT just donuts. No holes, no fancy toppings or fillings just plain fried dough. On the internet it says we did this to use up sugar and butter before lent but my mom always said it was to use up the starter - then they'd start a fresh batch come Easter to start fresh and new.

These days it's all symbolic since no one cooks like they used to and they eat donuts... usually sugared or powdered and I cringe and shake my head saying "those aren't fastnachts"... *sigh*
 
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  • #36
Milwaukee had a huge German and Polish population in the last half of the 19th Century and first half of the 20th, pretty much divided by the Menomonee River valley. (Q: What's the longest bridge in the world? A: The 6th St. viaduct because it reaches all the way from Germany to Poland.") The rest of us all got the best that the chefs from both cultures, and the Italians in the 3rd ward, all had to offer. So we had both Fastnacht and Paçzki but Paçzki was not only more fun to say, they tasted better.
 
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  • #37
Since tomorrow is Paçzki Day, (pronounced Poonch-key) I figured this would be a good time to bump this thread.Happy Paçzki Day!
250px-Paczki.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Ponczki.jpg/250px-Ponczki.jpg
 
mmm... I had a cream cheese filled Paczki and a blueberry one last week. Yum!!
 
Oh how I love these things. In my family, the only 'real' filling is prune. Plus, when you eat them you need to put as much sugar on them as possible. :-)My family used to have huge house parties making these things. Unfortunately, that was a generation ago and I guess I haven't quite figured out how to make them. I tried twice this year and failed miserably both times. They take a lot of effort.So, here's my family recipe:1 cup Crisco
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups water boiled
add to Crisco and sugar. Bring to lukewarm.
2 small cakes of yeast
2 T sugar
1/2 cup of lukewarm water
combine in a large bowl and set aside
2 well beaten eggs
1 T salt
6 1/2 cups flourBeat all together and let raise until double. Take one tablespoon of dough and flatten it out in your hand. (It will be sticky so you'll need flour on your hands.) Place filling in center and pinch closed. Note: It's very important to pinch these closed. Let raise about 1/2 hour.Fry in 300 degree Crisco.Filling
Boil prunes until very soft. Remove pits. Grind. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar & 1/2 cup white sugar. Beat well.We would fill a container with powered sugar and a little bit of regular sugar. Put the Paczki in and shake, getting it coated with powered sugar. Yum.
 
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The_Kitchen_Guy said:
Since tomorrow is Paçzki Day, (pronounced Poonch-key) I figured this would be a good time to bump this thread.

Happy Paçzki Day!

250px-Paczki.jpg


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Ponczki.jpg/250px-Ponczki.jpg
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Mmmm...that lemon one made my mouth WATER!
 
I never did get my raspberry one. :( (and that was two years ago)

DH will be flipping pancakes tomorrow for Shrove Tuesday.
 
BUMP for 2010!Diane V. was craving Paçzki today, so I thought I'd bump this thread up. Especially since tomorrow (02/16/2010) is Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras/Paçzki Day.There's a recipe in this post that I got from the radio a couple of years ago. It's a family recipe, supposedly. And I think I might make some today.
 
Thanks, Ann. This craving isn't subsiding, and a couple of local FB friends gave me some names of places that have them. Can't wait.

And nope, not pregnant. Just hungry!
 
So I have a couple questions...do they taste similar to a doughnut? And do they come with the defibrillation paddles or a heart stent? Egg yokes, crisco and deep fried...my heart just blew a clot!
 
KG - National Bakery!! They still have a great calling for them as you know! And what??? No one likes the prune ones?
 
baychef said:
So I have a couple questions...do they taste similar to a doughnut? And do they come with the defibrillation paddles or a heart stent? Egg yokes, crisco and deep fried...my heart just blew a clot!
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They're essentially a really rich doughnut. Many grocery stores carry them at this time of year, in the bakery department.
 
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  • #47
pampered1224 said:
KG - National Bakery!! They still have a great calling for them as you know! And what??? No one likes the prune ones?
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You bet! There will be a line around the block at National Bakery tomorrow morning, along with satellite trucks from the local television news departments.
 
Well look for me! I am going to be out there early tomorrow a.m.! Hey, I have nothing better to do so why not. Plus, can you believe I have never had one! At least not a real one!
 
I never heard of these until I lived in Detroit when I was 23 years old. Mostly, I saw prune filled ones at Meijer. That grossed me out, so I didn't really understand the pull. The lemon ones look very good, though. I might have to pick some up at Meijer tomorrow or DeBoer Bakkery has them, too. Funny that a Dutch bakery makes and sells them.
 
JAE said:
I never heard of these until I lived in Detroit when I was 23 years old. Mostly, I saw prune filled ones at Meijer. That grossed me out, so I didn't really understand the pull. The lemon ones look very good, though. I might have to pick some up at Meijer tomorrow or DeBoer Bakkery has them, too. Funny that a Dutch bakery makes and sells them.
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The ones at D&W are better. :chef:
 
I don't want to go to D & W. I have to go to Meijer. You should see my stack of 90+ coupons. I bought Mangos and eggs at D&W today. Not planning to go back there for paczki's. I don't want to like them very much!
 
chefann said:
They're essentially a really rich doughnut. Many grocery stores carry them at this time of year, in the bakery department.
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I have never heard of them...my sheltered life is catching up to me!! We have Price Chopper & Hannaford's. Super Walmart might have them. If all they have is prune then for now, they will remain unknown to me!:yuck:
 
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  • #53
I don't have a lot of faith that you'll find the genuine article at Wally World. I'll be there today, so I'll look - and we'll compare notes later.
 
My brother's MIL (who has since passed, bless her sweet, sweet heart) escaped from Poland when she was a teen. I KNOW that my SIL must know what they are and where to find them. They live in Buffalo, NY which has a high Polish population. I used to date a man who was Polish and I learned how to make home made perogies, but still never heard of these.
 
We have what's called Fastnacht's Day here. It's a Lancaster County thing I guess, or a German thing.
 
I went to our local grocery store at 5 am to get mine today. The store opened an hour early just for the paczkis. They're really good. I'm eating a raspberry one right now. Mmmmm!

Whhhooooops! Just added an inch to my waistline!
 
dianevill said:
I went to our local grocery store at 5 am to get mine today. The store opened an hour early just for the paczkis. They're really good. I'm eating a raspberry one right now. Mmmmm!

Whhhooooops! Just added an inch to my waistline!
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I had to laugh imagining you standing out in the cold in front of the store, waiting for them to unlock the doors so you could buy your paczki! :D I take full credit for introducing them to you!

When I went this morning to buy ours, the girl who check me out said that they started making them at midnight to have enough for today!

We got an apple, a blueberry, and a cherry. That way we can sample three different kinds. :)
 
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  • #58
I found my Paçzki at Wally World this morning, which was a real surprise. Of course, if I hadn't seen the bakery lady pulling them out of the box labeled "Paçzki" I wouldn't have known - she mixed 'em right in with all the regular donuts.Fastnacht, Fat Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday...there are lots of names for the day before Ash Wednesday. I have no idea if Poles call it Paçzki Day or not - I just know that all my old South Side friends greet one another with "Happy Paçzki Day!" each year.Historical note: At one time, Milwaukee was divided into three distinct areas - the Germans on the north side, the Italians on the lower east side and the Poles on the south side. It wasn't unusual to hear German, Polish or Italian spoken in homes around the neighborhoods. My old friend, Walter (his real name was Wolfgang) lived across the street from us - he spoke clear English although his family spoke only German. His mother, Lottie, spoke a delightful broken English. Walter took German in high school, figuring that he'd ace it since it was his first language. Wrong. His family spoke low German while the school taught high German. Oops. When I was a kid, the joke here was that the 6th Viaduct was the longest bridge in the world because it stretched from Germany to Poland. Of course, that's all changed now.Out here in my neighborhood, my church's services were "Auf Duetsch" until 1936, when it started to be uncomfortable to be a German.
 
OK. Well, we tried raisin, raspberry and prune. Next year - NO PRUNE UGH! The others were really good but they are really heavy but OMG how good are they!
I also had to laugh as Pat said he had a Bavarian Creme Paczki at work. When I was at the bakery, they told me, as did some of the other customers, that Bavarian Creme is NOT a traditional filling. So who knows. Plus he said the one he had was definitely baked and not fried, well, that did it. FAKE! Just because it is filled does not make it a Paczki. It is the dough more than anything else. It has to be completely loaded with tons of butter and eggs then fried. Then it is filled if it is not raisin. For the raisin ones, they mix the raisins into the dough before frying it. Sort of like raisin bread. so good!
 
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  • #60
No wonder everyone swears off all that stuff for Lent! After a day of overloading on Paçzkis, it would take 6 weeks to recover!
 
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